Seite - 482 - in The Complete Plato
Bild der Seite - 482 -
Text der Seite - 482 -
and that other things participate in them and derive their names from them,
Socrates, if I remember rightly, said:—
This is your way of speaking; and yet when you say that Simmias is greater
than Socrates and less than Phaedo, do you not predicate of Simmias both
greatness and smallness?
Yes, I do.
But still you allow that Simmias does not really exceed Socrates, as the
words may seem to imply, because he is Simmias, but by reason of the size
which he has; just as Simmias does not exceed Socrates because he is
Simmias, any more than because Socrates is Socrates, but because he has
smallness when compared with the greatness of Simmias?
True.
And if Phaedo exceeds him in size, this is not because Phaedo is Phaedo,
but because Phaedo has greatness relatively to Simmias, who is comparatively
smaller?
That is true.
And therefore Simmias is said to be great, and is also said to be small,
because he is in a mean between them, exceeding the smallness of the one by
his greatness, and allowing the greatness of the other to exceed his smallness.
He added, laughing, I am speaking like a book, but I believe that what I am
saying is true.
Simmias assented.
I speak as I do because I want you to agree with me in thinking, not only
that absolute greatness will never be great and also small, but that greatness in
us or in the concrete will never admit the small or admit of being exceeded:
instead of this, one of two things will happen, either the greater will fly or
retire before the opposite, which is the less, or at the approach of the less has
already ceased to exist; but will not, if allowing or admitting of smallness, be
changed by that; even as I, having received and admitted smallness when
compared with Simmias, remain just as I was, and am the same small person.
And as the idea of greatness cannot condescend ever to be or become small,
in like manner the smallness in us cannot be or become great; nor can any
other opposite which remains the same ever be or become its own opposite,
but either passes away or perishes in the change.
That, replied Cebes, is quite my notion.
Hereupon one of the company, though I do not exactly remember which of
them, said: In heaven’s name, is not this the direct contrary of what was
482
zurück zum
Buch The Complete Plato"
The Complete Plato
- Titel
- The Complete Plato
- Autor
- Plato
- Datum
- ~347 B.C.
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- PD
- Abmessungen
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Seiten
- 1612
- Schlagwörter
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Kategorien
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International